Candid Definition
by butterfly.bones
Summary: When everything that could be done had been done, there was really nothing much left to say. KainXRuka
1. Overture

**Title:** Candid Definition

**Date:** 7/14/08, 9:27 p.m.

* * *

"Kain…"

_Kain._

He hated it.

He used to love his name.

He used to think it was exceptional.

Akatsuki Kain.

Hanabusa had once run to him, smug with new knowledge he knew his cousin did not have, and explained the concepts of their first names.

He had reveled in his.

Akatsuki.

_Dawn._

His favorite time of day, he thinks, the color of her hair.

Once, when he was "seven" (more like two hundred and fifty, he muses) Hanabusa had procured a copy of the Bible, and the two had perused its contents with absolute abandon. "Look," his idiot cousin had pointed suddenly, "It's you, Kain."

"Dummy," he had replied in all his childish superiority, "That's with a C."

"It's the same sound," Hanabusa defended, before they read the story.

Kain.

The sinner, the cursed brother killer.

He thought that sin and vampirism were a pretty good combination.

But how, how he hates the sound of it now.

"Kain…"

She never called him anything else.

**.-.-.-.-.**

"Why?" she had asked him once,

"Why?"

She had never asked before. She had never once asked why he watched her, why he protected her, why he was always there when she needed Kaname and couldn't get him, why he was just plain always there, why he was always standing there waiting for her to arrive. Why he stayed with her only to be pushed away, why he did it without a word of complaint.

So you could say it caught him a little off guard.

"Because," he replied simply, tugging her closer, "I love you."

She said nothing, the beginnings of moonlight mixing with the steamy red hues of the setting sun washing over her naked body, highlighting the gold in her long, curly tresses, coloring her skin. Then,

"No, I don't think this is love."

He was silent, and she was silent, observing the way his large hands laced around her slim fingers, tightly. And he could only think, she was so beautiful. She was more beautiful than any pureblood could ever hope to be.

Then suddenly she was gone, and the space beside him was empty and cold, and her school skirt was being tugged on. Her legs taunted him, and with the sway of her hips with every movement, she walked to her bathroom door.

Pause.

"Please leave before I return."

He could only watch her, and obey before Hanabusa woke.

He could only think, that shining little girl he had known as a child was broken.

**.-.-.-.-.**

She never talked about him, or to him, or did anything concerning him. She never made the slightest inclination that she even acknowledged him, or spared even a glance at him. She spent her days with him in her bed and she spent her nights at Kaname's feet. And she didn't say a word suggesting any of the prior ever even occurred to her, existent or not.

But he was pretty sure several people knew what was going on.

Seiren, for example. That girl was sharp.

Kanae probably knew. The black haired girl had the next room. He didn't know her well, her family, though noble, did not run in the same circles as his, but she never said a word. Same for Botan and Kagiri, her siblings.

Shiki and Rima.

Ichijou definitely knew.

Hell, Kaname probably knew too. The only one who didn't know was Hanabusa, and right now, he wasn't even so sure about that. And, thinking back on it, his cousin always conveniently woke mere seconds after he'd entered their room.

Well, he ceased caring a month ago, when he finally deciphered the whispers and the slight, shifting glances. And none of them said a word to, or even near, her, for the sake of Ruka Soen's dignity.

But he knew from the moment she stumbled into his arms, lacking blood and love, grasping at him for support, tears in her beautiful eyes.

Love was Ruka.

Life was Ruka.

And Ruka, one day, will see.

Until then, he thought with a wry smile, leaning back in his chair,

Until then, Akatsuki Kain will more than willingly be her toy, and wait.

He will say nothing, until she spoke.

He will not move until she's budged.

And he will always, always be waiting.

* * *

A/N: _Because we ALL know he loves her. Review, please. And vote: one shot or short ficcie?_


	2. Act I

**Title:** Candid Definition

**Author:** Kisa Meying

**Date:** 7/16/08, 9:07 p.m.

_I do not own Vampire Knight. This story is for fan enjoyment only._

**.-.-.-.-.**

"_Akatsuki."_

He had been surprised.

"_I caught you at a good time. It'll be dawn soon._"

He'd wondered why she was there; why she wasn't back in the dorms like she was supposed to be. Safe. Maybe, he had mused, maybe even worried. But that was just wishful thinking.

"_Continue guarding the Day Dorms. Day Class lecture are cancelled." _

He was being obsessive. Ruka wasn't weak. She could do more than hold her own in a fight. With that funky thing she does, that twist of the wrist and flash of the hand…she could take care of herself. She wasn't stupid, either.

"_Don't let anyone leave."_

He knew that. He worried anyways.

"_Hey, Ruka,"_

Ruka was fragile to him, and that meant she could break. And he would not let that happen, not here, not now. Especially with these pathetic Level E sons-of-bitches here. Hell if he would let one of them kill her, or even touch her.

"_Are you okay?"_

But everything can be melted. Not so much her heart, he thinks, but rather his resolution.

"_I want to show you a strong and responsible woman."_

He didn't know what had happened, or what had changed, both in her heart and his, but at that moment, he heard her voice, and he believed her.

"_Akatsuki, why are you being lenient on her?"_

He let her do what she wanted, broke from her side because he believed that she would be alright.

"_Akatsuki,"_

That was his mistake.

"_Why are you being lenient…?"_

She was _always_ making him weak.

**.-.-.-.-.**

They were like mosquitoes, Ruka decided. They were unending. Bloodthirsty. They kept on coming, egged on by their now excellent vision in the dark, and Ruka was just standing there blasting them off.

It was easy. Too easy. And Ruka knew that. Cronies of a pureblood were never this easy, disgusting lowlife or not. Fighting a Noble--they must be pretty crazy, or pretty stupid.

Her eyes shifted from side to side. _Left…right…_she kept moving her hands, blasting apart the pathetic Level Es, keeping them at least five feet away, constantly on guard. She knew they were _stupid_, but they can't be _that_ stupid. There had to be an ambush coming from somewhere--

And then a searing pain entered her abdomen. She looked down to see the remaining hand of the female vampire Akatsuki had dismembered, jutting like a spike through her stomach. Then, suddenly, they were all attacking.

"Akatsuki," she choked, immobile, as another claw ripped through skin, flesh, and bone.

"_Akatsuki,_" as teeth ripped into her neck.

"_AKATSUKI!!"_

He was too far away. He couldn't hear her. He couldn't--

Then the female vampire ripped her hand from Ruka's body, taking a good chunk of her insides with it. Several others pounced and began tearing with their teeth and claws and eyes and noses at her falling form, trying desperately to get some blood, human or not, into their system. Ruka's eyes closed, and she was down.

He only turned in time to see her precious body fall.

**.-.-.-.-.**

"Ruka," he managed, suddenly numb.

No. No. _No._

Within seconds Kain was there, beside her, the offending female incinerated behind him. His anger--no, it was so much more than anger--his _fury_ and _loathing_ lashed out in the form of massive flames at unthinkable temperatures, ripping the vampires off of her limp, bleeding body, rushing out and reducing to mere ashes any attacker within a quarter-mile radius, not caring about the forest grounds he had just destroyed.

"Ruka, no, _no,_ open your eyes, Ruka…"

He was desperate, and she was dying. There were more holes in her than he could count, scratches all over her perfect face and, _God,_ were those bite marks in her neck? Her unthinkably weak body was attempting to heal itself, but it was too torn, too damaged to work.

And she just lay in his arms, dying.

He screamed, louder than anything the residents of the dorm behind them had ever heard before, a gut-wrenching sound torn from his throat in utter despair and agony.

The vampire _army_ was regrouping, advancing. He could do _nothing._

Suddenly, Seiren was there, and Botan, and Kanae and Kagiri, and Hino and Izumu and Touya and a multitude of others whose faces he could not identify through the blurring of tears in his eyes.

"Go," Seiren ordered.

She never even needed to consider having to ask twice, because he was gone before the word left her mouth.

**.-.-.-.-.**

He set her down on his bed, and force fed her as much of his blood as he could. Slowly but surely, the scratches and some of the smaller wounds began closing, leaving only smooth white skin. He cupped her face and for the first time in his long life prayed, until her breathing calmed and her bleeding stopped.

Shiki appeared with Rima in his arms a half an hour later, a look of shock and guilt on his face, before offering to stay with Ruka if Kain wanted to go find some human way to speed up her healing process. Reluctantly Kain left for bandages and to rip apart a few more of Ridou's servants, and Shiki set Rima down on the bed across from Ruka's, Hanabusa's bed, sat down on a pike of books, rocked on his heels, wracked with guilt.

When Kain returned, later than expected, fresh blood on his hands, Shiki entrusted to him the care of Rima--she was stable, he told himself, just sleeping, not in any immediate danger like Ruka--and left to help kill his father's never ending onslaught of vampire cronies. Kain shrugged. "Go join the fun," he told Shiki as he left, "It's more a massacre than a real battle."

Shiki smiled a little, and vanished.

Kain peeled the frock and coat, stiff with dried blood, from Ruka's small frame. He traced a finger over her cheek, cried a little, and bandaged up the open hole in her abdomen. He lingered over Rima for a bit, before returning to Ruka's beside and kneeling beside her healing face, bandaging up her torn neck, and got ready to wait for most of her internal systems to repair themselves.

As he crouched beside her bed, holding one of her small, pale hands and resting his chin beside her torn shoulder, he remembered one thing.

She had called for him, when they were tearing through her body.

She had called for _him_, when she knew she was in danger.

When she knew she need help.

Not just help. _His_ help.

Not only had his mercy caused her near-fatal injury, he had failed to hear her, failed to help her, failed even to be there when she lost conciousness.

For this once, she had called for _him,_ not Kaname, and he had failed her.

Kaname had never failed.

**.-.-.-.-.**

_A little bit of Kain angst there at the end, but I think that's how he'd think if this scenario actually occured._

_I'm posting this before Chapter 42 comes out cause if something happens to the contrary, well, I'd be feeling rather foolish. Review, please!_


	3. Act II

**Title:** Candid Definition

**Author:** Kisa Meying

**Date:** 7/20/08, 9:01 p.m.

_I do not own Vampire Knight. This story is for fan enjoyment only._

**.-.-.-.-.**

He was the first face she saw when she woke, but not the _right_ one.

_This moment,_ he thought guiltily, _belongs to Senri_, as he helped a weakened Rima up from where she lay.

Her eyes were clouded, unfocused; she looked around the room dazedly.

"This pillow smells purple," she said.

"It's Hanabusa's bed," he replied simply, and she poked the down pillow blandly.

"Where's Shiki? Is he okay?" were the very next words out of her mouth. Albeit slow, unsteady, but her consciousness was coming. Kain shrugged, squatting down beside the bed.

"Yeah," he told her, "He's out kicking ass."

"Who?" Rima swung her legs over the edge of the bed, wobbly, a tinge of red in her eyes.

"Rido's people," Kain leaned over, stretching out his neck. "Here."

Rima blinked. "Kain?"

He shrugged. "Go ahead. I don't mind. Get your energy back."

She hesitated a moment longer, before cautiously reaching forward and sinking her elongated fangs into his neck.

Kain closed his eyes as she slowly took a pint of blood from his system. He wasn't worried. Shiki wasn't here to offer Rima the fresh blood she needed, _he_ was--watching the two injured girls, charged with their safety and recovery, not out slaughtering the sons of bitches that made Ruka that way. He did not need his blood. But his charges did.

Rima sighed as she pulled away, the holes in his neck instantly disappearing. She wiped a trickle of blood from her chin as she whispered a small, "Thank you."

He shrugged, settling on his heels as he waited for his metabolism to kick in and start replacing his lost blood. "No problem. You two need it more than I do."

"Two…?" and Rima's eyes came into sharp focus, fixed on the girl lying on the bed across from hers. "_Ruka_!"

She moved with alarming speed for someone so recently recovered from a massive injury.

"What happened? Is she okay?" her blue eyes flickered over her friend's smooth face. Her neck had closed up, as well as scratches and cuts along most of her appendages. "She looks okay. She's okay, right?"

He didn't say anything, but only because he wasn't so sure.

Rima took that silence as a negative. She lifted a hand and tentatively pulled up the covers on top of Ruka's limp body, dropping them immediately with a wince, closing her eyes.

He hadn't checked, fearful for exactly what Rima found.

The wound in Ruka's abdomen was still open, and apparently still gruesome.

"Kain," Rima turned and stared right into his eyes. "I'm so sorry."

He had known she knew, but the comment took him by surprise anyways.

"Yeah," he coughed awkwardly.

"What can I do to help?" Rima whispered, laying her blonde head next to Ruka's dark golden one.

Kain shook his head, moving to sit beside her. He lifted the blanket and examined the wound himself, glad to see that the hole was smaller than before.

"We can wait."

**.-.-.-.-.**

Rima was long gone by the time Ruka finally opened her eyes, eager to find her partner. Kain had dozed off slightly at his perch by her head, but he had always been a light sleeper, and woke instantly the second she stirred.

"Akatsuki?" she whispered, her eyes hooded, her voice hoarse.

"Yeah," he couldn't say anything else, lest he betray his suddenly closed-up throat.

She smiled brilliantly. "You're here."

"Yeah," he said again.

"Thank you."

He could not help himself anymore.

"I'm sorry, Ruka," he croaked, burying his head into the space beside her arm, "I'm so sorry."

"Why?" He looked up.

"I--" he swallowed. "I didn't hear you. I left you. I didn't come fast enough. I didn't kill her when I should have. I'm--I'm the reason you became like this…Ruka…"

She lifted a hand shakily, and placed it on his head.

"I'm still here."

He could not bear her acceptance, her forgiveness.

"Barely," he replied shakily, his voice saturated with torn up emotions.

"But I'm still here, and because of you, Akatsuki."

Her weak voice washed over him, and he could not help it. He cried. "Ruka…"

Slowly, but steadily, Ruka raised herself up with a grimace. "Akatsuki, look at me."

He raised his head, and she lowered hers.

"Why?"

He knew what she wanted, and he thought it was worth whatever pain it brought him, if it would ease hers in any way.

"Because I love you," he whispered.

She leaned down and pressed her lips against his. Instinctively he pushed himself up, and slung an arm over her legs, and suddenly he living in her acceptance, her forgiveness, because in this moment, he does not know what has changed, but he does know that Ruka is alive, and she is safe.

He could not help her, but he has saved her. He suddenly has a chance for her heart again. Her heart, not her body. And Kain pushed the weight off his chest, because time was precious, Kain is smart and he is not going to waste his beating himself up when there was something much more precious to nurture.

"Thank you," she smiled weakly, pressing her forehead against his, and closing her eyes in weariness. He smiled, running a finger down the side of her face, and maneuvering her back down into his bed.

"Anytime."

* * *

_Gosh, I really hope this wasn't too cheesy. :S_

_One more chapter, folks, then an epilogue. I think I'll tackle something longer when I have a brainchild. Review, please!_


	4. Act III

**Title:** Candid Definition

**Author:** Kisa Meying

**Date:** 7/22/08, 11:24 a.m.

_I do not own Vampire Knight. This story is for fan enjoyment only._

**_NOTE: There is a piece of music in this chapter: when you see the italicized lyrics, please do yourselves a favor, go to YouTube, and search "Love Story Andy Williams". It makes the whole experience so much better._**

**.-.-.-.-.**

When the whole Rido fiasco was over, Chairman Kaien Kurosu decided to continue the existence of the Academy. "After all," he had chirped happily, "All's well that ends well!"

Kain didn't really think so. Only Kurosu could count the thousands of piles of sand, the revelation of vampirism and the fact that half the Day Class were so petrified they couldn't even look _Ichijou_ in the eye as "well".

But by the end of the week, the humans had convinced themselves there were such things as "good vampires" and "bad vampires", which Ruka assured him was their simple-minded versions of "nobles" and "leeches". They resumed their swooning at whom they now perceived to be their eternal saviors. Thus, the Chairman had decided to throw a last, end-of-the-year dance, before he sent the students home for the year on the strict promise that not a word of Kurosu Academy's secret would leak out.

He called it "prom". Apparently, it was American.

There was a process to prom, for which Kain's sympathy for any American vampire that ever experienced this event rose immediately. That they had to endure the process of being repeatedly elected as the most beautiful beings in society was a thought that Kain could not bear. He sincerely hoped that this was a one-time splurge on Kurosu's part, after all, they were always forced to go to dances, but never forced to participate as objects of human desire.

"Prom Court" was elected by only the Day Class, and nearly every vampire with seniority ended up on it. Ruka and Rima stood in annoyance and boredom (respectively) as they were immediately voted their seats in Court. Kanae followed, then two human girls named Chiyuki and Sayori. Seiren had flat-out refused consideration, as did most of the Night Class; the few more adventurous and some closer to Kaname were roped into the event as "enforcers of the peace".

Yuuki had not been elected, so naturally Kaname denied his rightful place as first seat on the male side of court, and nobody opposed him. He was replaced by Ichijou, followed swiftly by Hanabusa and himself, with Senri and an extremely miffed Zero Kiryu taking up the rear. When the voting had finished to the delight of most on stage and the disappointment of all in the audience, they were dismissed.

"Please explain to me once more the point of this event," Ruka frowned as she glided angrily back to the Dorms. He was happy--overjoyed--to notice that she had dropped her frigid façade around him, only picking it up again when away from his side.

"The Chairman says it's to celebrate," he replied calmly, his hands placed languidly in his pockets. "I think it's to calm the humans down before they leave."

"So it's pointless," she huffed as they reached her door. Her thin hand slammed down on the handle, and twisted it in exasperation.

He grinned.

"Ruka Soen," she turned, to see him bow. "Do me the pleasure of accompanying me to the dance." He angled his face upwards, and shot her a brilliant smile.

She replied, matter-of-factly, "Of course."

He straightened, and grinned, reaching behind him and accosting a passing Rima from a disgruntled Shiki, presenting her to Ruka.

"Have fun," he said, and took Shiki away.

**.-.-.-.-.**

A week later and he'd managed to find something decent to wear, not counting his uniform, of course. While Hanabusa pranced around cheerfully, admiring himself in the mirror, smoothing down his hair, and readjusting the red rose in his white buttonhole, Kain pulled on a midnight blue sweater over a white collared shirt, and a suit to match. Hanabusa twirled around, to see his cousin looking thoroughly handsome, his suit jacket unbuttoned, hands shoved in the pockets of his white dress pants.

"Wow," the blonde had blinked. "You're _dressed up_."

Kain shrugged and disappeared, a bouquet of red roses appearing in his hand as he left. Deciding the whole neatly-dressed Kain business was much too weird to think about, Hanabusa returned to his joyful narcissism.

He arrived at Ruka's door the same time Shiki did.

"This is a little awkward," he commented when he saw the black-haired noble raise a hand to knock.

"Rima," Shiki replied, pointing to the room.

"Ah," Kain said.

Said blonde girl opened the door, to reveal a multitude of hairdressers and makeup artists rushing around in Ruka's room.

"I borrowed them from our modeling agency," Rima told Shiki as she led them in. "Stay in the corner. I'm almost done."

The human workers seemed utterly unfazed by the presence of two gorgeous men in their workspace. Kain guessed they were probably used to the presence of gorgeous people.

Rima resurfaced ten minutes later in a white lace dress, with her hair up in a sleek knot, a cluster of lilies poking out from one side.

"Okay, let's go," she grabbed Shiki by the arm with little to no enthusiasm. "Bye, Kain."

Kain opened the door for the whirlwind couple, before closing it, leaning against it and waiting.

"Alright, alright!" a voice snapped from the frenzy, "You can _stop_ now."

The head hairdresser frowned unpleasantly as Ruka ripped herself out of the goddamn chair, turning to face Kain.

"You can all leave," she commanded icily. The humans rolled their eyes, packed up their things and filed out obediently.

Kain had to remember to breathe.

Ruka's dark gold hair had been highlighted and low-lighted, and woven at the back of her head into an updo, with several trailing curls falling to her shoulders. Two locks of curled hair sat in front of her ears, accompanying her long bangs. She wore a midnight blue dress, tight at the top, flaring at the bottom, strapless, with silver jewels encrusting the neckline and a silver shawl draped around her arms. She tiptoed toward him, hands clenching fistfuls of fabric, careful not to trip on the long hem of her dress. When she reached him, she raised a hand, loosing at least a foot of silk and held on to his shoulder as she slipped on four-inch silver pumps.

Straightening, she brushed her hands absentmindedly along the front of the monstrously long dress, smoothing it down. She was now eye-to-nose with him, he noticed, not eye-to-shoulder. It should make looking at her less painful for his neck.

"Well," Ruka blew a straw curl away from her eyes, "How do I look?"

Kain said nothing, and held out his red roses. She took them with a smile, and set them in a ready vase on the table beside her bed. He offered his arm, she took it, and he led her to the ballroom, passing a springy Ichijou and his thoroughly over-caffeinated cousin.

They separated a few times during the dance, with courtesy rounds with their friends, and Day Class members vying for attention and chances. Kain watched her, even as he twirled Rima, Seiren and countless Day Class girls around the brightly lit floor, admiring the way she glittered as she waltzed with Ichijou, Senri, his cousin, even the occasional Day Class boy. He took a few of those outside, the ones he saw undressing her with their eyes. They always shrunk to the outskirts of the milling crowds along the walls obediently, and he was always satisfied that Ruka was one stalker less.

Hours later the Chairman leapt up from wherever he had hidden himself, and the lights around the perimeter of the ballroom dimmed. Two spotlights highlighted the chairman, center stage, and from somewhere a piano began to play an overly chipper _Peer Gynt._

With wry shrugs and swift movements, the nominees for Prom Court lined up in pairs at one end of the ballroom, and split the dancers like the Red Sea as they glided towards the suddenly erected seats at the other end.

The Chairman was giddy with delight as Ruka and Ichijou sat across from each other, followed by Rima and Aidou, Kanae and Kain, Shiki and Chiyuki and lastly Zero and Sayori. The crowds milled, and then gathered around the podium.

"Ladies and gentlemen, before you cast your votes, may I introduce the nominees?"

Somewhere in the crowd, Yuuki rolled her eyes as Zero blatantly twitched and glowered in his seat.

"For Prom Queen, ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce: Ruka Soen! Rima Touya! Kanae Kotonami! Chiyuki Momori! And Sayori Tachibana!"

There was applause, whistles, and a few catcalls. Kain pinpointed them and made a mental note to make sure to meet these catcallers later.

"And your choices for Prom King, ladies and gentlemen, Takuma Ichijou! Hanabusa Aidou! Akatsuki Kain! Senri Shiki! And Zero Kiryu!"

More cheers and applause.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, please cast your votes."

"Hey," Ichijou leaned over, "Let's bet on who's going to win."

"Isn't that a little narcissistic?"

"There's nothing I do better," crowed Hanabusa proudly. "Anyways, we all know _I'm_ going to win this. If we're gonna bet, let's bet on the girls."

They passed this offer over to Shiki and Zero. The latter turned and glared viciously, while Shiki expressed his utmost confidence in Rima and went back to sleep.

The three turned to look at the girls. The vampires looked extremely bored: Rima was tapping her foot, whispering to Ruka, Ruka was examining her perfect cuticles, and Kanae was leaning on the back of her chair, staring at the ceiling. The two human girls elected to Court looked extremely excited but not very hopeful.

"I'm betting on, let's see…Kanae-chan, five grand," Ichijou whispered. "Three on each of the humans and ten on Rima, twenty on Ruka." Kain sighed. It was just like Ichijou to give away money senselessly.

"Fifty on Ruka," Hanabusa followed up.

"A hundred," Kain replied. Ichijou shrugged and accepted, and Kain wondered if he was doing it to piss of his grandfather or just because he was bored and, like them all, had more than enough money to burn. They turned and started at Shiki, poked him, repeated their offers, and were joined with forty grand on Rima.

"You have no idea what you're talking about," Hanabusa grinned to Ichijou and Shiki, "You're going to lose a _lot_ of money tonight."

Ichijou shrugged and smiled. Shiki went back to sleep.

**.-.-.-.-.**

Impatience soared, as the ballot-counting drew into its fourth (and hopefully final) hour.

"Alright, folks," the Chairman leapt up with a grin, just as most of the Night Class began contemplating leaping out the windows. "Votes have been counted. Albeit slowly. Sorry." He grinned at them. "I've just been informed that the voting usually takes place _before_ the actual dance." Groans. "Sorry, sorry! Okay, let's see…"

The tired piano stopped, replaced by a drumroll.

"For your Prom King…second runner up, Senri Shiki!"

Shiki started with a jolt at the applause, looked around, waved blandly and settled again.

"Tied for first runner up…Takuma Ichijou and Akatsuki Kain!"

Ichijou grinned at Kain, who shrugged with a small smile. Hanabusa was practically glowing in the first seat; three seats down, Zero was emitting an extremely dark aura.

"Ladies and gentlemen, your first ever Prom King of Kurosu Academy is…the marvelously handsome HANABUSA AIDOU!"

Cheers, applause and offers of marriage erupted from the female population as Aidou stood, bowed, and with a flourish leapt up to where Kurosu was waiting with a crown, a cape and a scepter. When Hanabusa was done perfecting his appearance, the crowd settled down.

"Alright. Your second runner up for Prom Queen, Kanae Kotonami!"

Ichijou sighed flamboyantly and whipped out his checkbook, did a nifty bit of math, and began scribbling down zeros. Hanabusa winked at his cousin from the stage. A few giggles emitted from the crowd as they figured out what was going on.

"First runner up, Rima Touya!"

Shiki rubbed an eye and pulled his checkbook from his pocket as well, leaning over to copy from Ichijou, not caring enough to calculate his own amount.

"And finally, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, your first ever Prom Queen of Kurosu Academy is…the unbelievably gorgeous RUKA SOEN!"

Ruka scowled, before joining the blonde vampire onstage. The male population of the audience leapt up with cheers, and Kain decided that was just way too many to kill in one night. Ichijou and Shiki handed him twin slips of paper, which he slipped into his coat pocket as a glittering silver crown was placed on Ruka's golden head, and a red velvet cape around her shoulders, the shawl lost long ago.

"Ladies and gentlemen, clear the floor for your Prom King and Queen's first dance!"

The piano started up with the heartbreaking tones of _Love Story _as Hanabusa bowed to Ruka, who accepted his hand with a wry smile. They shed their royal attire, but for the crowns, and Hanabusa began his dance by dipping Ruka so far down her curls lay on the floor.

_Where do I begin?  
To tell the story of how great a love can be  
The sweet love story that is older than the sea  
The simple truth about the love she brings to me  
Where do I start?_

Kain took Kanae's hand and joined the royal couple on the floor, followed by Ichijou and Rima. Shiki looked content to sit there until they were done, Zero had vanished, but neither of the Day Class girls in Court seemed to care, slipping from their thrones and finding partners in the crowd in a matter of minutes.

His eyes followed Ruka, spinning in Hanabusa's arms, twirling and dipping and swirling rapidly around the space cleared on the dance floor, his cousin having an absolute blast swinging them around like he was on crack. Her face was plastered with a brilliant smile from whatever Hanabusa was whispering into her ear, a wicked grin on his face as his eyes locked with Kain's.

_With her first hello  
She gave a meaning to this empty world of mine  
There'd never be another love, another time  
She came into my life and made the living fine  
She fills my heart_

He leaned down. "Excuse me," he whispered. The black-haired girl nodded and disappeared into the black masses, the bright crimson of her gown resurfacing a minute later with a brunet male. Kain caught Ruka around her waist and turned her around, catching his cousin's eyes and directing him towards Ichijou and Shiki, waiting with Hanabusa's prize money.

"Hey," he whispered, brushing her bangs out of her eyes with a gentle hand.

"Hey," she replied. They whirled and spun with perfect chemistry, neither partner missing a beat, their eyes locked. Around them were Shiki with Rima, and Kaname, who appeared with his sister in his arms, and countless other faces too blurred to recognize.

_  
She fills my heart with very special things  
With angels' songs, with wild imaginings  
She fills my soul with so much love  
That anywhere I go I'm never lonely  
With her around, who could be lonely?  
I reach for her hand  
It's always there  
_

"Ruka," he pulled her aside. "I've been thinking."

They shrunk to the balcony where Kaname used to muse, alone, at previous dances.

"Why the sudden change?"

She looked up. "What?"

"You know what I mean."

She bit her lip, her eyes shifting away. "Akatsuki…I'm sorry."

It was definitely not what he was expecting.

"What?"

"Sorry," she repeated, her head bowed. "For all these years, I've been using you, and toying with you, and…I've been so horrible. But because of Kaname-sama and Yuuki-sama…I feel like I woke up."

She turned up her chin, but refused to meet his eyes.

"I was just a child living in a world away from reality. I never noticed that you were always there. That whenever I get hurt I just run and find you, and you make it okay. I don't even know _how_ you make it okay…I don't know why you put up with me. We've known each other for centuries. I'm so sorry that I…I've leaned on you since we were two feet tall--well, you were never two feet tall--but I've always ignored you and your feelings." She took a deep breath. "I…won't bother you anymore."

Kain sighed, and placed a hand on the top of her head.

"Ruka…I love you. I know you don't think so, but I do."

She was shocked, her eyes wide.

"You--still?"

He nodded solemly.

She was silent for a moment. Then,

"If you'll still have me…I will try to love you, too."

He was utterly shell shocked.

"Ruka…"

"Yeah." She pulled her shoes off, tossing them aside, and laid her forehead on his chest. "It's cold out here."

He wrapped his arms around her thin body and pulled her closer. They stood there, eyes closed, breathing in each other's scents and saying nothing.

Finally, Kain pulled away, a smirk on his lips. She blinked.

"I guess we have no time to waste, then."

_  
How long does it last?  
Can love be measured by the hours in a day?  
I have no answers now, but this much I can say  
I know I'll need her 'til the stars all burn away  
And she'll be there_

"I've been speaking to Yuuki-sama about this," he said, pulling a box from his pocket. "She says this is how humans do it. Frankly, I just wanted an excuse to buy you something."

Her breath caught in her throat.

"Ruka Soen, will you marry me?"

A million different things coursed through her head.

_Kain…_

_Grandmother…_

_Mother…Father…brothers…_

_Formalities_

_Contracts_

_Marriage_

_Courting_

_Engagement--_

She silenced them.

_How long does it last?  
Can love be measured by the hours in a day?  
I have no answers now, but this much I can say  
I know I'll need her 'til the stars all burn away_

"Yeah," she whispered in the chilly breeze of the night. His smile blossomed into something huge, the moonlight washing over their silhouettes, untouched, undisturbed, pure.

"Yeah, I'll marry you."

_And she'll be there…_

* * *

_This chapter is a little long for Candid Definition, but it's a lot shorter than what I usually write for my other stories. :D_

_So, one more chapter and we're done. Yay! I have progressively liked this project less and less, mostly because of the characterization. POSTKANAME!Ruka and SMILING!Kain are ridiculously hard to write, mostly because neither get much screen time._

_I think I'll embark on a longer project sometime. What do you think of Kain and Ruka locked in a room for a week?_


	5. Finale

**Title:** Candid Definition

**Author:** Kisa Meying

**Date:** 7/23/08, 8:31 p.m.

_I do not own Vampire Knight. This story is for fan enjoyment only._

**.-.-.-.-.**

Needless to say, Ruka's parents were thrilled.

Ruka and Kain, along with an entourage of friends (including, surprisingly, the two pureblood Kurans) had travelled to Ruka's mansion, been greeted enthusiastically, then, after being situated in the finest guest house they had ever been to were summoned (Kaname and Yuuki were "graciously invited") to Ruka's father's study.

"This is a surprise," she mumbled to Kain as her cheerful mother offered Kaname and Yuuki golden upholstered chintz chairs. Her entire family sat pleasantly in a semicircle before them: her grandmother, her father, the empty space of her mother (who had gone on to order the rest of them chairs, too), and all five of her older brothers.

"Did you tell them we were coming?" he whispered back.

"By 'we' _I_ meant all of us, like we were coming for vacation, which usually does not merit Ryosuke and Keiichi coming back from America…"

Kain shrugged and thanked Mrs. Soen politely as he was offered half a loveseat. Ruka took the other half, unhesitant, as her family paid their respects to the Kurans.

Finally, her father turned back to them.

"Well, Ruka, this is a pleasant surprise."

Ruka blinked. "I sent a telegram that we would be here, 'tou-san."

He chuckled.

"No, that's not a surprise," he agreed. "However, this is."

He flicked a card at them, which Kain caught swiftly. Flipping it over, his eye immediately began twitching.

"Hanabusa…"

The blonde grinned, as Ruka took the telegram from Kain's hand. Rima leaned over and read out loud:

"Guess who's engaged to my cousin! It starts with R and ends with Uka. Heart heart heart. Hanabusa Aidou."

The model blinked.

"That was extremely not subtle."

"Hey, hey!" Aidou put his hands up defensively as his cousin made to stand up and pound him, growling. A mischievous grin spread over his handsome face. "I was really excited!"

Ruka's mother smiled serenely. "We are absolutely _overjoyed,_ Ruka-chan."

"Although we are rather disappointed at being robbed the chance of throwing the traditional ball for Ruka," her grandmother added. "However, we have decided that albeit the lack of formality and the fact that Ruka did not consulted us about this matter before she accepted--"

Ruka winced.

"--there could not be a finer choice than Kain-san. He is from an extremely respectable family, he is, of course, very handsome, and we have known him since he was yea tall, not to mention his closeness to Kaname-sama." She turned and inclined her head towards Kaname. He smiled politely.

" Altogether, this was an excellent decision, Ruka," her mother assured her. "I do not believe _we_ could have chosen better."

"I could have," Ryosuke muttered.

"Excuse me?" said Ruka's grandmother.

Ryo shrugged. "Maybe someone who would button their shirt up all the way."

Yuuki caught herself mid snort, and Ruka flushed. "Nii-san!"

Ryo grinned. "It's true."

"Shush," Azuma, the oldest, chastised. He shot a rather apologetic look at Kaname, only to find him smiling in amusement.

"Maybe Takuma-kun," Keiichi offered. Takuma laughed, blushing. Ruka was now turning a shade rarely seen outside of a volcano.

"Maybe Aidou-kun," Yukito pointed at the suddenly flustered blonde. "I heard something about them being involved. A rumor?"

"Uh, that was Kurosu's--"

"I'm just _teasing_, Aidou-kun, I know what the _prom_ is," Yukito snorted. "Like I'd leave my precious little sister to such a playboy."

"Yukito," Ruka's father scolded with a grin as Hanabusa flushed in embarrassment.

"I stick by my decision of Takuma-kun," said Keiichi, moving to sit beside the blonde. "Brothers, are you with me or against me? This is war!"

"Kaname, help me," Takuma pleaded, "They're trying to rope me and Akatsuki into polygamy!"

Kaname's lip twitched.

"I think Shiki-kun's exceptionally handsome," said Seishiro pleasantly, bouncing over and plopping down beside the black-haired vampire. Shiki blinked helplessly and turned to Rima.

"What?"

Rima shrugged.

"Alright," Azuma held up a hand, "Have we finished nominating everyone but Akatsuki-kun?"

His four brothers shrugged and returned to their seats, observing an extremely calm Kain lounging beside an extremely irked Ruka.

"Yeah," Keiichi sighed. "He holds up well under pressure."

"Welcome to the family, Suki-kun," Seishiro grinned, before patting his little sister on the head and sitting down again.

"I hope you boys are done," Ruka's mother finally said, dreamily. They grinned at their mother and settled.

"Okay," Mrs. Soen straightened, a mad gleam appearing in her eye.

"So, Ruka-chan," she said sweetly. "When's the wedding?"

**.-.-.-.-.**

Rima and Seiren were observing a curious transformation in their recently married friend.

She woke up every morning and threw up. She ate an abnormal amount of food, consumed double her necessary blood tablets, and threw up more. She slept a lot, snapped more, and soon refused to go to class. She refused to let anyone but the two other girls near her, not even her mate. That was _definitely _a first.

So naturally everyone was a little bit curious.

"Ruka," Rima said one day, flipping through a book, "I think you're pregnant."

The brunette choked on her tablet and whipped around to stare at the blonde.

"_What_? No! Give me that!"

She snatched the book from Rima's hands, skimmed it, and promptly fainted.

Rima didn't really know what to do with a pregnant vampire, so she left to find Seiren. The other girl wasn't any more informed than she herself was, so they found no other option than to tell Kain and hope for the best.

Luckily, he wasn't as affected. A little surprised, but he didn't faint. Which was good, Rima reasoned. A fainting Kain would just be too funny to handle.

"Are you sure?" he asked as Hanabusa bounced around in joy, "Isn't it way too early for her to get _pregnant_?"

Rima shrugged. "My mother had me two years after she married my father," she told him.

"Well, what do I do?"

"About what?" Yuuki popped in, followed closely by Kaname and Takuma.

"Ruka's pregnant."

They froze.

"Well, what are we doing standing _here_?" the ex-human demanded. They all looked at each other, before turning back and staring at her expectantly. With an agitated sigh, the pureblood darted into Ruka's room, where the brunette was just waking.

"Yuuki-sama," she whispered. "Tell me I was dreaming."

The rest of the crowd filtered into the airy room slowly. Yuuki shook her head. Ruka groaned and banged her head against her headboard. Kain rushed forward.

"Ruka, calm down."

"This is _terrible_," she seethed. "How am I supposed to carry a _baby_ and go to _school_ at the same time?"

"Well, technically, you're not going to school right now," a recently arrived Shiki pointed out. She glared at him.

"It's not terrible," Kain told her soothingly, "It's a good thing."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Think of it this way. We're getting a jump start on things. We'll beat everyone else in the room to a gaggle of kids, no sweat."

"You're not mad?"

"Of course not."

"Okay," she whispered faintly. Rima nudged her companions, and they began trickling out of the room, leaving the couple to privacy. Kaname had to pick up a reluctant Yuuki ("It's so beautiful," she sniffed) and forcibly carry her out of the room.

"Okay," he ran his thumb over the back of her hand, the other resting on her head. "Rest, Ruka."

"Okay," she replied, drifting off in newfound tiredness.

And inside her, a new heart started beating.

_The. End._

_So Candid Definition is done. :S I've progressively liked each chapter less, so I'm sort of glad. I've decided never to expand an intended one-shot ever again. It never ends well for the creative process._

_So…while I begin brainstorming for_ One Week _(Ruka and Kain stuck in one locked room during mating season. Uh oh.), please check out_ A Knife in the Dark_!_

_Thank you for reading._


End file.
